The COVID pandemic changed the way a lot of people took in leisure activities. That certainly included outdoor recreation.
The game of pickleball came along in the mid-1960s, but mainstream interest has taken off in just the last few years. Michael Johnson is deputy director of enterprise for Lexington Parks and Recreation. He said it’s hard to predict endurance, but pickleball is much like tennis.
“It’s something you can make friends and it’s very social, so you can sit out and talk and play. I don’t see pickleball going anywhere anytime soon. We’ve got a lot of interest. It’s continuing to grow,” said Johnson.
The City’s overall investment including completed pickleball and tennis projects is almost $3 million. Upon completion of all projects, there will be tennis courts in 15 public parks and pickleball available at 13 parks.
“And we’re really trying to balance out our racket sports, right? So tennis is still extremely popular, pickleball is coming on. So we’re going through and redoing a lot of our tennis courts. We’re getting ready to start Woodland tennis courts, that will remain tennis. But, then we’ll be adding some pickleball courts out at Cardinal Run North when we build that this fall,” said Johnson
Johnson said there is a bank of 12 pickleball courts in Kirklevington Park, the largest grouping in Lexington.
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